The Missing Pieces
by TheObsessory
Summary: A series of snippets about Squad Levi- how they formed, their relationships with one another, how they became the people we knew and loved. How they broke Levi's shell. How they became the legends they would always be remembered as. How the mild romance bloomed between a block of ice and a summer day. {Open to ideas revolving around these five.}
1. Snippet One: Chosen

**The Missing Pieces  
Snippets about  
Squad Levi / Levi x Petra**

 **By TheObsessory**

 **Snippet Number One: Chosen**

I perched against the side of a nearby tree, regaining some of my breath as I had been instructed to. My 3D maneuvering gear supported me as I crouched there, watching some of my fellow Scouts fly at the dummy titans, slashing at the fake soft flesh at the nape of the neck. Most met their mark but there were a few failures.

Six of us had been called from the the mess hall early this morning during breakfast. The six chosen, I had noted, had been part of the top ten Cadet Corps that had graduated from the 100th Eastern Division. And yesterday morning, the three that had graduated top of their class from the 100th Northern had been called away during the same hour.

"Why'd they have to call us out like that?" I heard Oluo complaining further up the tree to Mattias. We had been split into groups of three- Oskar, Siegar and Liesl and then Oluo, Mattias and myself. We three had gone first and waited for further instruction as the others went.

Many eyes watched us and now that I had a moments rest, I scanned them myself.

The newest Survey Corps Commander, Erwin Smith, stood silent and stone faced, watching Oskar, Siegar and Liesl as they worked. Well, "new". It had been roughly a year since the breach in Wall Maria and Instructor Shadis had retired and promoted him. He was a force in and of himself. We had all heard whispers during training last year of Erwin's accomplishments and of his quick rise in the ranks. It was partially the stories of him that had made me join the Survey Corps. Just in the last year the excursions outside the wall had yielded more and more success in our understanding of the titans and how to avoid them.

Next to him stood our previous Commander, Keith Shadis, who had been our instructor for the last three years of training. His eyes darted constantly in between the three of them, grimacing when a mistake was made.

The two people that accompanied them I did not recognize. One looked to be a woman with dark hair and thick rimmed glasses. Unlike her comrades, her emotions showed through at every instance. She "ooo"ed when Liesl's blade cut down to the wood of the fake Titan and waved her hands around when Oskar's hook missed its mark. It was very clear that the others around her were annoyed by her antics, but chose to ignore her as much as possible.

The last of the group of four was, well, short. He looked to be no older than myself, although I wouldn't be surprised if someone said he was in his late twenties. Although his complexion and height made him seem rather young, his use of a cravat and the circles under his dark eyes spoke volumes about him.

I quickly whipped my head around to follow my comrades in their training as his narrowed eyes found mine- _Almost as if he had known I was looking!_ \- and bored straight into them. I prayed for my hot cheeks to cool as I nervously fiddled with the hilt of one of my blades.

"Maybe they're looking for squad leaders?" Mattias ventured a guess.

"We're fresh from training, Matt." I clicked my tongue glancing out of the corner of my eye to see the same dark eyes still focused on me, "That's what they have senior members for."

"Maybe we're just good enough, _Petra_." He yelled back, green eyes as wild as always. I twisted around, back to the ground as I looked up past Oluo to give him a nice eye roll.

"Ral, Bozado, Voigt! Shut your mouths and get cutting!" Instructor Shadis' yell over took any snide remark I had for Mattias, and before he had even finished his sentence, the three of us were already off toward some unmarked titan dummies.

The three of us whizzed past trees and branches, our hooks finding tree bark and wooden titans as holds. We came up quickly on a particularly large dummy, Mattias and I taking a similar route left and upward toward the nape as Oluo went right. Although we had no idea what exactly we were showing off for, I knew that whatever it was was meant to be a competition. Which of us was the best? I knew I was nowhere near as skilled as Oluo when it came to combat, but I did know Mattias was slow in comparison to myself, and I prided myself in knowing I had that as leverage. I planned on getting there before him and knew I'd make my mark.

Oluo let out a loud grunt of surprise as we all realized the dummy titan had swung around in the opposite direction it had originally been going, heading straight for the airspace Mattias and I would be in momentarily. In my split moment of panic, I realized only one option would save me from collision. Making eye contact with Oluo confirmed that we were both on the same page.

Oluo had a hook secured to a tree on the right side of the target, his path sailing straight past the nape. Even with a gust of the gas powered mechanism sending him closer to the dummy, he wouldn't get the leverage he'd need to dig the blades deep enough. Had we _not_ been instructed against using our hooks on the titan we were specifically after, this would be easily amended.

I was not in near enough range of any tree that could correct my path, so instead I angled my gas powered mechanism opposite of the titan, shooting myself closer toward its head. With a grunt to muster all the strength I could, I flipped sideways over its head, shoving my left hand grip into my belt as I glanced straight down, my face a mere foot and a half from the top of the titan.

In that moment, Mattias met his fate, unable to avoid the fast swinging dummy that knocked him down to the ground with a surprised roar. Having successfully avoided being hit, I was now travelling directly toward Oluo, one of his hands free of blades and held out to catch my own empty hand expectantly. I nearly missed his fingers, but we grasped our hands as I reached, Oluo now spitting out some gas to spin around in a circle and fling me right back toward the titan.

I twisted midair, correcting my path and grabbed my grip, placing a blade on it just in time to cut a large divette out of the fake pink flesh.

"Well done Ral, Bozado." Shadis congratulated us as I hooked to a tree and held myself against it, "Oluo, take Mattias to the medic. It seems he failed to correct his fall."

Sure enough, Mattias laid at the bottom of the titan's feet near the soldiers directing the dummy, a trickle of blood leaking from his nose and a bruise already forming on the side of his head where he collided with the wood.

"Ral, front and center."

With a gulp to hopefully alleviate the knot forming in my throat, I made my way over to the small group of people huddled on the platform mid way up the tree. I dropped before them, placed my right fist over my heart, left fist behind my back and stared straight ahead, avoiding a glance into anyone's eyes.

"That was impressive." Commander Erwin was the first to speak after a moment, "I believe Captain Levi here would like to ask you a few questions before we dismiss you for lunch."

"Thank you, sir. It would be a privilege, sir."

The three of us, Ervin, Levi and myself, were soon on the road back to the Survey Corps headquarters. We did not push our horses up to a gallop- in fact, the clip clop of the horses hooves against the stone path was quite slow and calm.

Once we were well away from where we had left Shadis and the woman behind, Captain Levi began to speak to Commander Erwin, seemingly aware, yet not caring, that I could hear every word.

"The agreement was _you_ were doing the interviews, Erwin." His voice was powerful, and carried back even to where my horse trotted along quite a few feet behind the two. "You know I don't do this kind of-" He glanced over his shoulder and I busied myself with the river we rode by to avoid meeting his cold gaze once more, "- _thing_."

My cheeks once again burned in embarrassment, but I kept my lips clenched together in a straight line.

"Yes, that was _before_ you were put in charge of gathering your own Special Ops group. I'm not going to be working closely with them, you are." Commander Erwin retorted, his blond head fixed forward, the headquarters within sight now.

"You know who can work with me." Captain Levi muttered slightly softer in return, clearly dreading having to have a conversation with me.

"Obviously not since everyone else I suggest you turn down." Venom was laced in his words. Apparently I was not the first.

Other than a sound of annoyance from Captain Levi, the rest of the short ride back was silent. Once we dismounted our horses, I followed closely behind the man barely taller than myself as he turned down hallway after hallway of assorted rooms- bedrooms, offices, lavatories, it was a maze. I tried memorizing each corridor in order to find my way out, so lost in my own mind I didn't realize the captain had stopped in front of a door.

The front of my head collided with the back of his in a resounding crack before I bounced backwards, eyes blurred in agony.

"Sorry, sir." I yearned to rub away the pain, but balled my fists over my heart and behind my back.

"Sorry, _Captain_." He corrected, completely unfazed as he unlocked the room and stepped inside, leaving me inwardly wincing and massaging my temple out in the corridor.

After a moment to breathe and mentally prepare myself for what I could only imagine would be the iciest interview possible, I stepped inside and closed the door behind me.

The room was small and modestly adorned with a bed, cabinet, drawers, desk and chair. Had I come in here of my own accord, I would have assumed it was void of any living life form. It was spotlessly clean, however. Not a speck of dust could be seen on the desk or floating through the air in front of the window where bright sunlight leaked through. The bed looked like it had been made months ago and hadn't been used since.

Captain Levi stood in the center of the room, the Wings of Freedom on the back of his cloak staring right back at me. He grunted and walked toward the chair, stopping as he glanced quickly around the room, in search of something. Apparently not finding what he was looking for, he took the small wooden chair and placed it opposite of the bed a few feet, sitting down and leaning leisurely back, one leg crossed over the other.

He motioned me to sit on the bed.

I quickly did so, chilled fingers curled in my lap. The bed was as tough as a rock and didn't give way when I sat down.

"I'm sure you overheard Erwin and I on the road and have some idea of what it is we're going to be talking about today." His head tilted slightly to one side, his eyes seemingly looking straight through me.

"Yes, Captain."

"Good. I'm glad you were eavesdropping."

I bit the tip of my tongue, wanting nothing more to explain myself- _Surely he wanted me to hear what he had to say, he was talking so loud!_ -but his gaze rendered me silent.

"I'm making a Special Operations Team under Commander Erwin's orders. My team is going to be comprised of brilliant and highly skilled soldiers who will listen to any request I have no matter how ass backwards it sounds. I need them to be able to communicate without one word. As far as I'm concerned, they're going to be one soldier in mind, even if there are five different bodies, understood?"

"Understood." I nodded, beads of sweat tickling at the nape of my neck. And I was being considered-?

"We will be humanity's last hope on the other side of that wall. We will be an unstoppable force against the titans." Here he paused. "Your technique is well rounded. Shadis has nothing but good things to say about you as a soldier. And from what I've seen, you don't lack the social skills I require of you." He drawled on, eyes flicking toward the window.

"Require of me, Captain?" I asked nervously.

"Yes. As of now you are the first one recruited to Squad Levi. Any questions?"

My mind raced at the suddenness of it all, fingers maddeningly cold despite being wrapped in my palms. _Squad Levi_. I didn't mind the sound of it, and there wasn't any possible way I could say no to a proposal such as this. This is what I had told my father I wanted, right?

 _"How can I sit around inside these walls, waiting for some boy to come along and sweep me off my feet so we can have children to sacrifice to those monsters?"_

I remember the conversation so clearly, my father's old face flushed in anger. He didn't understand what I saw in leaving the walls to further our people. His letters since the fall of Wall Maria had been increasingly agitated during training, but I had made my choice, and although he was not happy, he knew there was no changing my mind.

"Just one, Captain." I managed to spit the words out, "Why me?"

His eyes slid back to mine, just as cold and calculating as before.

"As if you couldn't tell, I don't do interviews. In fact I don't do talking all that much to begin with. You will be my mouth. I have a list of soldiers I want interviewed and I want you to put them into a squad including you and myself. I don't care how much they talk. I don't particularly care if I like them all that much. You know what I want and you will make it for me. You may be recruited but the ultimate task after the group of you _bond_ -" He spat the word as though it were sour. "-and learn to work as a single soldier will be an excursion out of Wall Rose just the five of us. I plan on surviving despite what the rest of you do, so I suggest you find people you know will work well and keep you alive."

He dismissed me then, and I lost myself in the maze of hallways just as my mind was lost, replaying each word he had said to me over and over. I eventually found myself back in my shared room, sitting alone at the only desk in the room that housed another seven female soldiers. To order my thoughts, I wrote a letter to my father.

 _Papa,_

 _You'll never believe what's happened to me. Even I don't believe what's happened to me. I was just selected for a Special Operations Squad- no, before you ask, I don't know the specifics of what we're going to be doing. Why was I selected though? Surely of all the soldiers part of the Survey Corps there are better. Oluo is far better in combat than me- though honestly I can't see him and Squad Captain Levi getting together all that well. He's just so cold. He said he doesn't speak much, but what he said sounded alright. He spoke so smoothly I found myself listening to him even if he showed so little interest in me as a person. He chose me first, Papa. And now he expects me to select the rest of the members. The Gods know I can't say no, but how am I ever to do what he wants me to do? It's all so much to comprehend in so short a time. And it's rather clear I was selected to do the choosing for him- he was so reluctant to talk to just me._

I paused, dipping my quill into the inkwell a few dozen times in thought.

 _I plan to say yes (although he gave me no choice in the first place). I'll do my best for Captain Levi. This is why I came here, Papa. I'm finally going to be able to do the good in the world I so yearn to see from others._

 _-Petra_

* * *

 **Just a series of snippets in between episodes/before Attack on Titan really begins. I, like so many other people, am so intrigued by this group of amazing characters we rarely get to know. I've always loved the aspect of a second family, the one _you_ choose to be a part of, not one you're born into.**

 **But yeah. If you're interested in perhaps reading more- I plan on eventually adding in the romance further down the line -please leave a comment. If there's any dynamic between two characters of the original Squad Levi you'd be interested in seeing, go ahead and let me know. Just anything.**

 **Expect a lot of character exploration.**

 **~TheObsessory**

 **(Also... being posted to AO3 under "TheObsessory", so no need to worry, tis I.)**


	2. Snippet Two: DISC

**The Missing Pieces  
Snippets about  
Squad Levi / Levi x Petra**

 **By TheObsessory**

 **Snippet Number Two: DISC**

"Are we almost there?" I could hear Oluo shift in his saddle for the sixth time in the last ten minutes, clearly uncomfortable. We had been on the road for a good portion of the morning without a single break. A glance up at the sun through the trees told me it was nearly noon, and my stomach confirmed this with a growl.

It had taken roughly a month to go completely through Captain Levi's list of candidates. It was a lengthy process, as it wasn't just an interview and overview of their skills on the field. It was piecing together the perfect team that had a wide range of skill sets. It was finding people that worked relatively well together.

I say relatively because, as Captain Levi explained, they didn't have to work well with him.

I did my research, of course. There were many books I found in the headquarters library that had a list of personalities that made the perfect team. Of course, each book had its own criteria and points, but I ended up settling on DISC.

The D in DISC stood for Dominance- the risk-taker and self-reliant one. Originally I had written Captain Levi's name under this, planning on doubling up on one of the letters since he had wanted to have a squad group of five in total including himself, but changed my mind. Captain Levi had asked me to make a squad under him, so I crossed his name off and instead selected Oluo.

With a smile, I turned and looked over my shoulder to Oluo who rode slightly behind me, getting a begrudging eye roll in return.

His interview had gone well. Everyone knew he was an efficient soldier when it came to training, despite his age- a mere seventeen years old -it was just his attitude I was worried about. He was hot headed and didn't know when to still his tongue. Maybe that was why he was always biting it?

He seemed interested in joining the moment I had brought it up.

"You know I said this was an interview, Oluo. You're not in yet. Captain Levi has to give the okay first." We sat across from one another in the mess hall, our dinners half finished. Despite his young age, he always looked so old. Especially now with the candle light furthering the creases in his face.

"Oh, so you were lying when you said Captain Levi put you in charge of this?" Oluo nonchalantly spooned some soup in his mouth, eyebrow peaked with the question.

"No, he did, but this is his squad-" I retorted, tearing at a piece of my bread.

"Like he'll be able to say no to me." A wide grin appeared after he had swallowed his spoonful, "He wants a group of soldiers that act like one? Well he saw how well we worked together, my little Pet."

"Oluo, this attitude of yours is the only reason why I'm hesitating." I admitted a bit haphazardly. "I know he mentioned he didn't have to get along with the team, but with your snide remarks, it would be a wonder if he didn't kill you within the first month."

"Tch, he can't be that bad."

"He's like a block of ice, Oluo. It's like, no matter how hard you try to chip away at him, there's no breaking the surface." At this point, I had had a meeting with him every night for about a week and a half after my initial interview to weigh the pros and cons of each person I met with that day. It had been my idea to meet with him, mostly because I wanted to break the barrier that he had set up so quickly and I wanted his input on this team. But he remained ever silent, maybe adding in a word or two, but to no avail.

"Well, if anyone can thaw that puny ice cube, it's you Petra, my dear." Oluo batted his eyelashes playfully for a few seconds.

I scribbled my name under the I for Influence. Captain Levi had chosen me, after all, for my social skills and charming nature. I could be quite persuasive when I had a goal in mind.

"Try not to complain too much, Oluo. The Captain may just change his mind about you." The voice carried from the blond head in front of me, small bun bobbing with the horse's movements.

As for Steadiness, I had interviewed Eld Jinn fairly early on. He was three years older than me at twenty one, and had all the aspects described for S: Deliberate, patient, controlled. He was technically a veteran now, considering he'd been part of the Survey Corps for roughly six years. He was also extremely kind, despite my sudden request for an interview.

"I don't know if you've met Captain Levi, but he's interested in recruiting a team for a Special Operations Squad. You were near the top of his list for interviews." I was a decent amount of nervous, fidgeting under his scrutinizing gaze as I had approached him out of the blue one evening. "My name is Petra Ral, and he's put me in charge of gathering the team. I was wondering if you were free any time in the next week to sit down and talk with me?"

"Ah, yes, I had heard rumors floating around of this so called 'Squad Levi'." He eyed me up and down, my heart fluttering in anticipation. My breath returned when a small smile pulled at the corners of his lips. "Of course. It's an honor to be considered."

Eld was by far the easiest to talk with, even considering Oluo. He was extremely charismatic for someone so stone faced all the time. He quickly flew to the top of my list, as well, after a glance over his in field titan kills.

"He wouldn't dare!" Oluo called up toward Eld, "And Petra wouldn't allow it!"

"I can't imagine Petra would be too bummed at the thought." Said the last of our group in his even tempered voice from my left.

Our last team member, our Conscientiousness one who was reserved and analytical, was the most difficult to interview. Gunther Schultz. He, like Captain Levi, was one of the eldest in the Survey Corps at twenty six, and was already a well renowned soldier. I felt unbelievably small and young when we spoke. At least he hadn't been as cold as Captain Levi had been.

"What exactly does this Special Operations Squad do?" He had been full of questions when we had spoken for the first time. Questions that I wasn't entirely sure I had the answer to myself.

"Ehm, well, your guess is as good as mine. Captain Levi wants the best, so my only idea is that we're the first line of defense against abnormals and the likes, or if anything should happen to the wall. Or testing out new weapons." I added in a small shrug to add emphasis to the fact that I was in the dark just as he was.

"What if this group doesn't get along?"

"I hadn't thought of that…" I muttered after a moment's hesitation. "I guess I'd have to revise my notes and figure out a better solution. I'm not too worried, though. I know all these people Captain Levi has suggested want to do all in their power to protect their family and friends, and would be willing to put aside their personal issues to work with people they don't necessarily like. I know I would."

I must have said something correct, because a small smile flashed across his face.

After I had interviewed Gunther, I had pieced together this tentative group, very confident in my choices and their abilities. I went straight for Captain Levi's room.

"Come in."

After a couple of raps on the door, he had called out.

His small room was swathed in warm candle light as the sun had set only moments ago. He hadn't bothered looking up from the paperwork he was hunched over at his desk.

"Captain, I think I've put together the team. I apologize if it took so long- there were just so many." I took a deep breath before carrying on. "I followed the DISC Personality Assessment to piece it all together. DISC standing for Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness. From what I read, a group of people with these personalities utilize the most out of their team building skill sets by having different people focused on different parts of the team.

"I selected Oluo Bozado for Dominance. Although he's never been outside of the wall, it's very clear during his training that he's competent enough to survive. I hesitated in his selection mostly because I was afraid his direct way of speaking and self confidence will most likely clash with yours, as you're considered a Dominant as well, but I know he works well with others, including myself, and decided to take the risk.

"Influence was where I took my place- persuasive, people oriented, the likes. Eld Jinn fell under the Steadiness criteria with his ability to listen and his even tempered behavior. If you were to choose someone for your second in command, he would be my personal choice. He's not the oldest, nor has he had the most experience in the field compared to Gunther, yet because of his more people oriented personality, he makes a perfect compliment to your task oriented self.

"And lastly was Gunther Schultz. I'm sure you know a great deal about him as he's one of the more senior soldiers in the Survey Corps. With his analytic and detail oriented personality, he makes up the last of the team as the Conscientious part."

Captain Levi remained silent for many moments after I had finished talking- it was then I noticed he had stopped writing whatever he was working on some time during my speech, though did not move to face me.

Turning slowly in his seat, he set his quill down and held his hand out for the paper I had been reading from, his face and eyes as neutral as ever. I nibbled at the inside of my lip, wondering if he'd disapprove of my sloppy work and constant changes I had made on the single piece of paper, but I didn't resist as I handed it over.

His eyes moved quickly over the paper in silence before his eyes slid back to mine.

"You did all of this on your own?"

"W-With the help of some books from the library, Captain." I'm not sure why, but I expected him to find something wrong with what I had made. Someone he refused to work with, disliking the system I used to put the team together- but I was surprised at his words.

"You know I didn't ask you for a fucking book report, right?" I inwardly winced, wishing to shrink down into the floor boards.

"I just thought you might like some reasoning as for why I chose who I chose, and I didn't want to have to go back when I didn't make the right decision the first time and recreate it all-" The words flew from my mouth as I tried to reason with him, expecting him to rip the paper to shreds and tell me how wrong I was.

"Stop blabbering, I'm just surprised with the lengths you put into this assignment I had for you." He handed the paper back with- was that the hint of a smile? "It's well put together and I approve of every choice. Tell the three of them we'll be leaving for the old Survey Corps Headquarters in a week and we won't be returning here for at least a month if not longer. Depends on how well these idiots all work together, so it's all on you. Tell them longer if you think they'll need it. As for you-" He paused, a couple of his fingers tapping against the back of the chair he leaned on. "I'll let Commander Erwin know you're off training duty for the rest of the week before we leave. You'll be working for me from now on. Report directly to me every morning. We need to finish Erwin's fucking paperwork before we leave since I'm not taking this shit with me on the road."

"Y-Yes, Captain!" My fist crashed over my heart a little stronger than I had expected.

So that was how my last week with the complete Survey Corps was spent. I wrote letters dictated by Captain Levi to important Generals and Commanders, some of which I recognized. Most of which I did not.

I was surprised to see another little chair identical to the one tucked under the desk appear on the second day of the week.

"What, do you expect me to stand? Or maybe you prefer to write at the desk standing up?" Had been his only response when my eyes fell on it.

I also went over case paperwork for instances outside of the walls like missing soldiers, those who had been killed and any progress worth noting. Captain Levi showed me how to take the notes he had jotted down and transcribe them into reasonable reports that Erwin would go over and then make any further preparations of writing apologetic notes for the families, et cetera. Between the two of us, the paperwork pile began to diminish.

By the fifth day of the last week before we went off as a team, I was already working on the last two documents.

"Captain, since I'll probably finish these tonight, what would you like me to do-?" Glancing over to where he sat next to me, I found him fast asleep, sitting upright in the chair with his arms crossed over his chest. Even with the shadows across his face, he looked so peaceful. I'd never seen his face so lax of emotion- or at least the few emotions he showed.

"Captain?" I asked a little bit louder the second time, but when he didn't respond, I quietly got up from my seat and grabbed the blanket from the bed, untucking it from under the edge of the mattress, and sat it gently over the sleeping soldiers front, wrapping the ends around his shoulders.

"This is where we're staying? What a dump." Oluo was grumbling, yet again, from behind.

We had reached our destination: the old Survey Corps Headquarters. As Captain Levi had requested, we were here to learn as a team, and that meant no outside distractions like other members of the Survey Corps.

"Then I suggest you get to cleaning." This was the first time Captain Levi had spoken the entire ride.

"Cleaning? We've been riding all morning, Captain. Surely we can grab a bite to eat first..?" I asked tentatively with a small smile, stomach letting out another growl of hunger.

"Perhaps your hunger will compel you to work faster. No lunch until this place is spotless."

* * *

 **Not much to say other than I can't wait to expand on Oluo, Eld and Gunther. Most specifically the last two as we get so little on them.**

 **I keep going to their Wikia pages to see what info I can grab on them and it's just far too depressing. Really wish we got more on them.**

 **Guess that's my job now.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Also many thanks to Seiba Artoria, Guest, dumbawps and especially my best friend Pethor for the reviews! They're very appreciated and I'm glad you've like it so far!**

 **~TheObsessory**

 **(Also... being posted to AO3 under "TheObsessory", so no need to worry, tis I.)**


	3. Snippet Two: Burn

**The Missing Pieces  
Snippets about  
Squad Levi / Levi x Petra**

 **By TheObsessory**

 **Snippet Number Three: Burn**

"Petra! Are you hurt?"

I rubbed at my right shoulder gingerly, the muscles already growing sore from the impact. I wouldn't be surprised if a bright purple bruise replaced my light skin there by tonight.

"Fine." I wheezed, the wind still knocked from my lungs. I could see all four of my teammates making a beeline straight for me from where I was slumped against the tree I had hit.

"You look anything but fine." Eld made it first, concern wrinkling his forehead as he crouched before me.

"It was just a fall. I've fallen before." The oxygen returning to my lungs helped clear my head of the fuzziness after the collision with the bark. Blood- most likely from cuts on my face that I received while falling through the branches -tickled at the corner of my eye, but I blinked it away. Hopefully I didn't look as badly as I felt.

"I hope you're really fuckin' proud of yourself, Oluo." I glanced past Eld to see Gunther and Oluo a few steps behind, the elder of the two keeping Oulo from getting any closer.

"It was an accident, they happen!" Oluo snapped, teeth bared in defense, "Besides, it wasn't my fault. Petra went the wrong way."

"Oh don't go pointing fingers you over-grown child." Eld turned his attention from me, "Petra was following her orders, unlike you."

Now that the haze had cleared I was able to remember what happened.

Oluo hadn't seen the wire I had been using connected to a tree as I flew through the air, my target- another fake titan -in sight. His wire had crossed mine and we both went flying, but with Oluo being heavier, his counter weight sped me up and I collided with the trunk of a large tree, so dazed I was nearly unable to catch myself before I hit the ground.

"It's both our faults, really." I attempted to stand, despite my hurt body crying out in protest, but was surprised to feel a hand on the top of my head that pushed me down.

"Just stay there." I glanced up to see Captain Levi standing over me, his hand still atop my head as he watched the other three with his usual gaze.

"Don't try to defend him. We had a plan and he changed his mind." Gunther accused, "Without even filling us in before hand."

"Are you a moron? You could have killed Petra. Look at her." Eld threw a hand back toward me, all three of them looking.

Apparently I looked just as bad, if not worse, than I felt.

"The dummy moved, what was I supposed to do, run right into it?" The arguing persisted despite my appearance.

"Go the other direction! Was it really that hard-"

"There weren't any trees-"

"Then maybe-"

"But you-"

"Shut up." Everyone snapped their mouths shut the moment Captain Levi spoke, "The sun's setting. Oluo, put the horses away and tidy the stables. Eld, you'll be cleaning and putting the equipment away. Gunther, you're on dinner tonight. I'll be taking Petra back."

They all silently began stripping of their equipment and placing it into the wagon we brought along. We were just outside of the old headquarters in the middle of the forest. A couple of dummy titan's were still set up from years and years ago, only instead of being powered by people, like our current ones, our horses went round and round the base, pulling the dummy with them.

I attempted standing up on my own, but every limb I put pressure on screamed in protest. Instead, I unbuckled my equipment where I sat. The limited movement in my right shoulder made this task difficult and Captain Levi had to assist me with my legs.

"Can you walk?" He looked down at me, his left hand stretched out.

I tentatively took it and heaved myself up, relying more on Captain Levi's counter weight to stand than my own legs. He was immovable.

I hissed in a breath as I shifted my weight between both legs, finding my lower back protesting even the smallest of movements. Hopefully nothing was broken.

"I'll carry you." I glanced at the captain in surprise, both arms outstretched, "Unless you'd rather I drag you?"

I shook my head and wrapped my left arm around his shoulder, cradling my right arm against my chest to avoid bumping it. My left hand held tightly to his collar as one hand held me under the middle of my back and the other wrapped under my knees.

He didn't stagger once the walk back.

Nor did he say a word until he brought me to my room and sat me down near my bed.

"Take your shirt off."

"P-Pardon?" I could feel the tips of my ears burning as the blush spread from my upper cheeks to my nose.

Glancing over my shoulder, I found him looking at the sleeve of his jacket, a sheen of red indicating my shoulder injury was more than just a bruise.

"I'll go get the medkit." And with that he disappeared.

Undressing was an uneasy task without my right hand. Although the jacket came off relatively well, unbuttoning the small buttons at the front of my white shirt proved near impossible. But by the time Captain Levi had returned, the top two layers had been stripped and all that remained was my undershirt, a simple white tank top with thin straps over my shoulders. This I would need help with.

"Uh, Captain?"

He seemed to know what I needed. As I sat in my chair, he slid both of the straps down my arms, but left the tank top on, only revealing the part of the shoulder blade that needed mending. I wished nothing more than to flinch away when his fingers grazed my skin, feeling extremely uncomfortable and vulnerable in front of my captain.

"This will most likely scar." He said with a click of his tongue, grabbing various ointments and bandages from the bag sitting on my desk.

"Hmm, my first scar." I mumbled lightly. It wasn't entirely the truth, per se, as I had a couple small ones from blade nicks and minor falls, but this was going to be quite visible. Or so I guessed.

Tears threatened to spill as he cleaned the wound, not nearly as gentle as my mother would have been. I must not have realized it, but my collision with the tree also ripped through all three layers of cloth, including my skin. I could see my ruined Survey Corps jacket sitting on the bed before me.

"There's a small amount of exposed muscle, but it's mostly just torn skin. Looks like we may postpone going back." He drawled on, cold thin fingers working away at my injury, giving no inclination he was starting the stitches.

"I'm sorry, Captain." Leave it to me to be the one holding everyone behind.

"Don't be. I'd be a fool if I expected no injuries to result from this month away." He finished the stitches quickly, wrapping a small bandage around my back and chest to cover it as best as possible.

"Would you like help dressing for dinner?" I was startled by his kind offer.

"You don't have to." I mustered after a moment's silence, already embarrassed enough.

"So you can do it and rip your new stitches out trying to get your arm through the sleeves?"

I swallowed my pride.

"There's a clean undershirt and button up in the middle drawer." I gave in, attempting to pull the undershirt I now wore over my head with my good arm. There was a sudden rip before the material fell away, leaving me topless, my back still to Captain Levi.

"Don't bother, it's ruined anyway." There was a small click- the sound of a blade being put away -before I heard footsteps and the drawer open.

"Good arm up."

I tore my left arm away from where it covered my chest, finding the armhole with ease as the captain pulled the undershirt over my head and down my body. He assisted me with my injured arm and then with the button up.

By the time he had finished cleaning up the bloodied towels, examinging my face to apply ointment to cuts and thrown out my destroyed clothes, it was time for dinner.

"I think I'll be fine walking, Captain." I stood on my two feet, shifting the weight between them. My lower back, though still uncomfortable and pained, didn't scream like it had after the initial collision.

The tension in the air at the dinner table was so thick I could cut it with a knife. And it only got worse after I arrived.

"At least she can walk now." Gunther mumbled to Eld who sat at his side, shooting a glare toward Oluo.

"What took so long?" Eld asked as he took my bowl and spooned some broth into it.

"Petra needed stitches." Captain Levi said coolly, cup of tea nearly on his lips.

I felt the temperature drop by a couple of degrees.

"I hope you're proud of yourself." Gunther spat across the table at Oluo who sat at my side.

"Can you imagine what could have happened to her had we been outside the wall?" Eld and Gunther spoke over one another, "We're supposed to be working as a team and here you are-"

"Oh yes, very _team like_ , two against one!" Oluo roared, slamming his fists on the table and standing up suddenly, "Blaming all this on me when it was just a miscommunication between Pet-"

"We're two weeks in, you idiot, there shouldn't _be_ any mis-" Eld also rose to his feet, Gunther following shortly behind.

"You could have at least said something to her-"

"It's fine, please!" The rising tension of the situation made my stomach roll uncomfortably, but my voice was lost over the yelling between the three.

They continued to yell nonsensical, verbal abuses back and forth until Captain Levi stood, his chair screeching against the stone. The three of them stopped the moment his fist collided with the wood of the table, causing a loud, deafening boom to echo through the mostly empty dining hall.

"I think I've quite lost my appetite." He mumbled, eyes sweeping the table, "Once Petra is able to get back on her horse, we'll be returning to the Survey Corps headquarters and I'll be searching for a team that actually works well together." His eyes finally landed on me, a sinking feeling hitting my gut, "I expected more from the soldiers you chose."

Eld, Gunther and Oluo slowly sat down, one after the next once Captain Levi had left. I could feel all sets of eyes on me, but all I could do was stare down at my untouched bowl of broth, breathing shallow. The sinking in my gut had spread to my chest and my skin crawled.

I tried to control my breathing, now deep and winded, as I fought back the tears that pushed so readily at the back of my eyes, welling up like a flood. I threw my metal spoon down at the table, clinking as it bounced off wood and hit the floor. I left before a word could be spoken to me.

I hadn't made it halfway to my room before the tears blinded me, blurring the walls and windows into one continuous hall.

I couldn't remember the last time I cried. Furthermore, I couldn't remember the last time I had failed so poorly. The disappointment on Captain Levi's face stared back at me every time I blinked.

By the time I was alone in the confines of my room, the disappointment in the pit of my stomach had manifested itself into utter rage, and it took every rational thought I could muster not to destroy my room.

What would I tell my father? My father, always so worried about how much I pushed myself. Always so prideful in his successful daughter, despite the fact I could die. The adrenaline pumping through my veins made my injuries ache, still fresh from this afternoon's mishap.

Instead of wreaking havoc through my room, I eased myself down onto the edge of my bed, tears giving way to sobs. I'm not sure how long I sat there and sobbed, furious with myself for failing and mulling over all the "if"s or "could have been"s, but by the time three solid knocks on my door sounded, my breathing was labored and gasping. My energy was all but drained, and I nearly called out at whoever stood on the other side of the door to leave.

"Petra, I'm coming in." Captain Levi's voice called through the ancient wood and it looked like I had no choice but to accept that he would do what he wanted. Was this my punishment for him having to help me when I was injured? Announce my failure in front of the others? _Embarrass me?_

I quickly wiped at my face, smearing hot tears and thick mucus on the back of my hand.

His neutral face didn't change when his eyes met mine. He closed the door behind him but didn't come much further into my room. I hoped the shadows hid my face.

"Crying." Did I hear a hint of disappointment laced in the word? "To be expected. Rejection is an Influencers greatest fear. If I read your report correctly."

"My report that turned out to be wrong." I found my voice to be raw and a little too high pitched for my liking.

"Not in the slightest." Captain Levi crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame, "I expected this. We're isolated from the threat of the walls and threat of the titans. It's easy to forget what we fight for. You'll understand that one day if you ever meet the Military Police. These people you chose need something to fight for or they fight one another, as you saw with today."

I began to piece the puzzle together.

"So you used me…?"

"Yes. Right now, while we're away from the titans, _you_ are their new thing to fight for. At least while we're out here. Because God knows those idiots can't stand to see a woman cry." His eyebrow twitched as I stared dumbfoundedly at him, "I guess your emotional response to your 'failure' moved them to come apologize to me for their mistakes and each promised to keep their snide remarks to themselves if I promised not to dissolve the team."

We stared at one another for a few moments, allowing it to settle. So this had all been planned and I hadn't failed after all.

"You could have told me." I mumbled quietly, rubbing the residual tear stains from my cheeks.

"I can't imagine you're that great of an actor."

I jolted, ears burning in embarrassment and slight anger as he- he of all people- _smirked_ at me.

"Sleep well, Petra. I'll be back first thing in the morning to check your wound."

* * *

 **Sorry for the delay, I had planned on having this out earlier, but life threw a little too much as me this last week and yesterday all I could do was watch Youtube videos. Literally all day. There was a death to deal with and a project on the mass graves of the Holocaust and that just takes a lot out of you, ya know?**

 **Anyway, I had a lot of fun writing this. I always imagined Levi being a bit manipulative with his team.**

 **~TheObsessory**

 **(Also... being posted to AO3 under "TheObsessory", so no need to worry, tis I.)**


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